Tags separating mechanism



Dec. 20, 1949 F. B. KEALL 2,491,514

TACK SEPARATING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 15, 1947 7 Shets-Sheet 1 Dec. 20, 1949 F. B. KEALL CK SEPARATING MECHANISM 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 13, 1947 [nvenior FrankE/Ieal/ Dec. 20, 1949 F. B. KEALL 2,491,614

TACK SEPARATING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 13, 1947 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 Iriuenior I 5y alligator/2g Dec. 20, 1949 F. B. KEALL 2,491,614

TACK SEPARATING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 15, 1947 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Dec. 20, 1949 F. B. KEALL 2,491,614

TACK SEPARATING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 13, 1947 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 [nvenzor frank 15. Kea

Dec. 20, 1949 F, g, KE LL 2,491,614

",AQK SEPARATING MECHANISM Filed Jan. 13, 1947 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 /29 [nvenzor frank fl/(ea/f Pate'nted Dec. 20, 194-9 TACK SEPABALTING MECHANISM Frank Bycroft Keall, Swanage, Dorset, England,

assigcr to United Shoe Machinery Corporatici Harrington, N. 5., a corporation of New .licrsey Application .l 'anuary 13, 1947, Serial No. 721,685

9 Claims.

The invention relates to tack separating mechanisms, and is illustrated herein as applied to shoe lasting machines, either of the type in which during one cycle of operations one tack only is separated from a row of tacks in the raceway with which mechanisms of this type are usually provided, or of the type in which a plurality of tacks separated during one cycle of operations. A machine of the first mentioned type is disclosed, for example, in United States Letters Patent No.

granted on June 15, 1397, on an application filed in the name of S. W. Ladd et al., this machine being commonly known in the trade as a Hand Method Lasting Machine. Machines of the other type referred to above in which a plurality of tacks are separated in one cycle are, for example, heel seat lasting machines, such as disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,944.9,539, granted on March 6, 1934:, on an application filed in the name of J. Gouldbourn et al., or toe lasting machines, such as disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,134,1 28, granted on October 25, 1938, on an application filed in the name of W. T. B. Roberts.

In lasting shoe uppers by machines of the above-mentioned types, particularly in securing the marginal portion of an upper in lasted relation to a shoe bottom member (e. g., an insole) by means of tacks, it is sometimes desired to use relatively light and short tacks, only some it, in length in order to avoid as far as possible clinching over at the interior of the shoe a considerable portion of the tack point and also in order to reduce the weight of the metallic fastenings precent in the finished shoe.

Such tack separating mechanisms as have previously proved satisfactory for separating heavier and longer acks of or more in length have not proved equally suitable for separating light and short tacks of the type above referred to. This is apparently due, in a large measure at least, to the fact that the shorter tacks are too light to flow readily down the inclined raceways toward the tack separators and to the further fact that these tacks show a marked tendency to become tilted on their heads within the raceways, thus giving rise to additional difficulties in separating them from the raceways and in delivering them point downward from the raceways into the tack blocks from which they are driven into the work by a reciprocating tack driver.

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a tack separating mechanism whereby short tacks, such as referred to above, may be readily separated from a row of tacks in the raceway and delivered to the tack inserting mechanism of the machine.

To this end the tack separating mechanism which is illustrated herein in three different forms or embodiments, is provided with a tack supporting member adapted to engage the head of the endmcst tack during its separation from the raceway to prevent tilting or lateral displacement of the tack under the impact of the tack separator. The tack supporting member is arranged to maintain control of the tack while the latter is being picked off the raceway by the tack separator and for this purpose the tack supporting member has a portion arranged to extend into the tack receiving slot in the separator as the latter moves across the lower end of the raceway to cause the slot to traverse past the endmost tack and thus to bring that tack into position to fall from the separator into a tack tube conducting it to the tack block. The arrangement between the tack supporting member and the slot in the separator causes the supporting member to move forward, relatively to the racew j, with the endmost tack during its separation, the tack supporting member thus maintaining contact with the tack not only while the tack is still in the raceway but also after the tack. has separated therefrom and until the tack falls into the tack tube.

These and other features of the invention will now be described in detail in connection with the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out in the appended claims.

In the drawings,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of one form of novel tack separating mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a plan view of part of the tack se arating mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1;

3 is a front elevation of part of the anism illustrated in Fig. 2

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of anotLer part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 illustrate successive steps of the separation of a tack from one of the raceways;

Fig. 8 is a plan View of part of th mechanism Shown in Fig. 1;

Figs. 9, 10 and 11 are and '7 respectively;

Fig. 12 is a side elevation of mechanism associated with trated in Fig. 1;

Fig. 13 is a plan view of another form of tack separating mechanism;

Fig. 14 is a right-hand side elevation, partly in section, of part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 13;

Fig. 15 is an angular view of part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 13;

Figs. 16 and 1'7 are plan views of certain parts of the mechanism shown in Fig. 13, with the parts shown in diiierent positions they assume in one cycle of operations;

Figs. 18 and 19 are rear elevations of one of the tack separators and cooperating parts of the mechplan views of Figs. 5, 6

a tack delivering the mechanism illusmechanisms shown in Fig. 13, the parts being shown in different positions they assume in one cycle of operations;

Figs. 20 and 21 are front elevations of the parts shown in Figs. 16 and 1'7;

Figs. 22 and 23 are sectional views of a tack separator and corresponding tack supporting member and their supporting parts in different positions they assume during one cycle of operations;

Fig. 2a is a right-hand side elevation of a still further form of the tack separating mechanism;

Fig. 25 is a plan view of part of the mechanism shown in Fig. 24; and

Figs. 26, 27 and 28 are detail views of a tack separator and tack supporting member of the mechanism shown in Fig. 24.

The tack separating mechanism shown in Figs. l-12 inclusive has two raceways it and i2 (Fig.

2) adapted to handle tacks or different lengths.

The two raceways are secured in parallel relation on a bracket M (Fig. 1) fixed to the machine frame. Each raceway has in it a groove iii down which the tacks pass one behind the other with their heads resting on the upper face of the raceway. The upper faces of the raceways are inclined downwardly at an angle of about 39 to the horizontal. A block i8-is secured between the delivery end portions of the two raceways. The upper face of the block it is at an angle of about to the horizontal. Pivoted on a stud 2%) (Figs. 2 and 4) which is secured in the block it and is perpendicular to its upper face, is a lever 22 arranged to cause tacks to be separated from the rear raceway It. The lever 22 extends from the stud 2% toward the delivery end of the raceway. A separator block 2 is secured to the underside of the front end of the lever 22 and thus may be swung about the stud across the end portion of the raceway iii to separate a tack therefrom. The delivery end portion of the raceway it has formed in it a notch extending across the raceway at an angle of about 45 to the raceway as seen in plan, in which notch a portion of the separator block 24 moves. The separator block 2t has a tapered rear portion 28 (Figs. 5-7) which ex tends into the notch 26. The rear edge 343 (Fig. 2) of the separator block lies obliquely to the length of the raceway at some 45. extends from the edge Sit forwardl and laterally of the block 21% and is adapted to receive the shank of the endmost tack in the raceway when being separated therefrom, the head of the tack being supported in a recess or groove Si l formed in the block 2% along each side of the slot 32. The slot 32 terminates in a hole 35 passing through the block '24. The hole 36 is large enough to allow the head of the tack to pass through it. The junction between the rear wall of the slot 32 and the rear edge 39 of the block 24 forms a point 3'? arranged to enter between the shanks of the two endmost tacks in the raceway as the block 251 moves across the raceway, thus moving the endmost tack out of the raceway and onto the block 24 itself with the head of that tack resting in the recesses 3 3. When the separator block 2% has completed its tack separating movement the hole comes beneath the tack head and into alinement with a hole 38 in the raceway it so that the separated tack passes through these holes and down a tube into a tack block 238 (Fig. 12) of well-known construction from which it is driven into the work by mechanism well known in the art.

A slot 32 U To hold the tack when being separated against displacement laterally of the raceway under the impact of the block 24 as the latter is moved across the raceway, a rod 46 (Fig. 2) is mounted for sliding movement lengthwise of the raceway in lugs d2 provided on the block 18. The rod 48 has its forward end portion bent, as shown in Fig. 2, toward the raceway and then downward, as shown in Fig. l. The down-turned end portion is arranged to engage the head of the foremost tack at the left-hand side thereof (as seen from the front of the raceways it), i2) andtoenter the slot in the separator block 2-3, asthe block 24 moves across the raceway. The downturned end portion of the rod it normally lies in contact with the forward end of the raceway just to the left of the endmost tack in the raceway (as seen from the front of the raceway) and thus it engages the tack at that side toward which the block 2 3 would tend to move it in separating it from the raceway. Just after the point Bl of the separator block 24 has moved behind the endmost tack in the raceway, the slot 32 engages the downturned end of the rod 46, and, owing to the direction of movement of the block 24%, the rod is thereby moved lengthwise of the raceway lii. The head of the separated tack comes into engagement with the rod 49 just after the point 3! of the separator block 24 has separated the tack from the next tack. The separated tack is prevented thereby from moving laterally of the raceway with the block 24 and therefore remains stationary within the slot 32 until the block reaches the end of its movement across the raceway. The tack then passes down through the holes 36 and 38. The rear edge 33 of the block 2% lies so close to the end of the raceway it that, before the block 24 begins its tack separating movement, the endmost tack in the raceway is in engagement with the rear edge 30 and its head is supported partly by the raceway Ii) and partly by the block 24.

The tack immediately following the separated tack is prevented from moving out of the raceway by the rear edge 36 of the separator block 24.

It will be noted that during the separation of each tack, the tack passes from the raceway l6 directly onto the separator block 24 and that, owing to the engagement of the rod with the head of the tack, little if any lateral pressure is exerted on the shank of the tack which otherwise might become displaced and trapped between the block 24 and the raceway Hi. If such short tacks as previously referred to were to be transferred to a throat plate of conventional type by the action of the separator, the separator would be unable to engage the tacks close to their heads and thus there would be the danger of the tacks becoming tipped on their heads during tack separation.

As has been stated the upper tack supporting face of the raceway it is inclined downwardly at an angle of about 30 to the horizontal. The separator block 2t lies at an angle of about 10 to the horizontal, being inclined downwardly in the same direction as the raceway, as shown in Figs. 5, 6 and '7. The pivot stud 23 for the separator lever 22 is perpendicular to the block 24, thus causing the arcuate path of movement of the block to lie in a plane making an angle some 29 to the inclination of the raceway. The slot 32 and hole 36 in the block 24 extend through the block at right angles thereto so that the point of the separator block 24 and the slot 32 are, by reason of the mutual inclination of the block and the raceway, thus arranged readily to engage the shank of the endmost tack. Since the head of that tack is supported partly by the raceway ii) and partly by the block 24 the tack does not hang vertically but with its head slightly in advance of its point, as shown in Fig. 5. Thus its shank is separated from the shank of the next tack and insurance is given that the point of the separator block 24 will move behind the endmost tack and wiil not disturb the remaining tacks in 2 the raceway. The tack, therefore, when it is in the slot 32, lies at an angle of about to the vertical and drops through the hole 36 substantially at that angle. The hole 38 lies at right angles to the upper face of the raceway and the point of the tack engages the side of the hole remote from the raceway and is thus prevented from dropping on the bottom of the groove it in the raceway It. If the tack were to strike against the bottom of the groove I5 it would quite likely become tipped out of its correct position. As the separator block E i is returned to its initial position after the separated tack has fallen from it, the rod to is moved rearwardly as a result of the cam action of the slot 32 thereon and, after the separator point 37 has moved be yond the groove 56 in the raceway the end of the rod 46 remains in engagement with the rear edge of the separator block 24 which, therefore, retains it in position to engage the head of the next tack in the raceway as the separator picks that tack from the raceway.

A blast of air may be directed on the separated tack to blow it into the tack block 39 by a pump (not shown) operated in time relation to the movement of the separator block 24.

The stud Ed has an eccentric portion on which the lever 22 is mounted so that the lever may be adjusted to adjust the rear edge 39 of the separator block 24 with relation to the notch 26 in the raceway.

The lever 22 is moved to separate a tack by a lever arrangement, hereinafter described, and in the opposite direction by a torsion spring at surrounding the stud 2%. One end of the spring engages a pin d6 in the lever 22 and the other end engages a hole in a collar 48 secured to the stud 2i]. A pin 5i? in the lever 2.2 is arranged to engage the side of the raceway ii] to limit the movement of the lever 22 by the spring 54 and an adjustable stop (hereinafter described) is provided to limit movement of the lever 22 in the direction to separate a tack from the raceway. The lever 22 is pivotally connected by a link 52 to one arm 54 of a lever 55 which is pivoted on a stud 58 secured in the block it. Another arm 5i.) of the lever 56 is arranged to be actuated by means hereinafter described and carries an adjustable stop screw ti which, by engagement with the block it limits the movement of the lever 56 in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2.

The separator arrangement for the front raceway 52 is similar to that associated with the rear raceway iii, except that a thin blade-like member 62, is used instead of the rod dd to sup port the head of the endmost tack while the slot in the separator is moving past the tack. The blade-like member 62 extends to the left (as seen from the front of the raceway if?) from close to the left hand side of the groove i t in the raceway I2 and its left hand end is pivoted at (i i to the block it. The right hand end of the member 62 lies between the end of the raceway and the rear edge 65 of the separator block as and is arranged to enter the slot (it in the block a the latter extending link Hi l which is swings toward the left and to control the endmost tack in the same manner as the rod 40. The member 62 may swing slightly to and fro as the front separator lever Til is operated. The lever it is also mounted on an eccentric portion of a stud iii which is secured in the block I 8 so that the front separator block 66 may be adjusted relatively to the delivery end of the front raceway E2. The lever it also is rotated in one direction by a torsion spring IS on the stud l2 and has an arm M arranged to be actuated by means hereinafter described and carrying an adjustable stop screw l5- which, by engagement with the block I8 limits the movement of the lever Ill in clockwise direction, as viewed in Fig. 2.

The means for actuating the aforesaid arms 6t and it comprises an actuating lever it (Figs. 1 and 8) pivoted on a fixed bracket 78, the lever eing moved in a direction to separate a tack by a tension spring 323. The lever I6 has secured to it an arm 82 which is engaged by a rotary cam (not shown) arranged to allow the lever to be actuated by the spring 8i? to cause the separation of a tack from one of the raceways. The lever it has pivoted to it at 83 a block 84% to which are pivoted, on a vertical pin 86, two fingers Hi8 and til arranged respectively to engage and operate the arms and The fingers may, when acting upon the arms, yield against relative light i springs t2 but these springs are of course stronger than the torsion springs M and I3 which act on the separator levers 22 and Ill.

In order to enable the operator of the machine to select the raceway from which tacks are to be separated a hand lever 94 is pivoted on a stud 96 secured in a fixed bracket 98. The hand lever 9 may be rotated through between stop pins its in the bracket 58 and has on it an eccentric portion I62 on which is mounted a downwardly raised or lowered when the hand lever is moved from one position or the other. The link Ha l has secured on it a pin 5 56 arranged to engage a recess I QB in a plate lid secured to the block 84. Thus the block 8% is raised or lowered by the link Hi l. The arrangement is such that when the link Hi l is in one position, one of the fingers 88 and Bil acts upon one or" the arms (iii and 14 while the other finger, although moved by the lever 76, is out of alinement with and does not operate upon the other arm, and when the link IM is in its other position, the other arm associated with the sepa raters is operated.

The separated tacks pass down one or the other of two tubes H2 (Fig. 12) to a position where they drop or are blown into the tack block 39. The end portions of the tubes IIZ adjacent the sepa rators are secured in opposite end portions of lever (not shown) which is pivoted to the block. it beneath the delivery end of the raceways. When the lever carrying the tubes IE2 is swung (as will be described) the upper end of one or the other of the tubes is moved close up against the lower end of the holes 38 in the end portions of the raceways down which the separated tacks pass to form a continuous The lower end portions of cured in a tube block H6 extending rearwardly from by a slot 129 (Fig. 1) in the I22 secured on a spindle I24 fixed bearings.

passage for the tacks the tubes H2 are se (Fig. 12) which has it a pin IIS engaged lower end of an arm rotatably mounted in The spindle I24 has secured on it a second arm l26 which is pivotally connected to the link IM. Thus, when the hand lever it is moved from one position to the other not only is a change made in the raceway from which tacks are separated but the upper end of the appropriate tube 8 i2 is brought close up to its hole 38 in the raceway and also the delivery end of that tube is moved into correct position to deliver the separated tacks to the tack block 39, in. that the movement of the tube block II'B caused by the arm I22 also causes a swinging movement of the lever to which the upper ends of the tubes I 22 are secured.

If, during the operation of the machine, the separation of a tack is prevented. owing to movement of the separator block being prevented by a bent or misplaced tack or for any other reason,

the spring 92 will yield and prevent damage to the machine parts although the actuating lever 75 will complete its movement.

The machine in connection with which the tack separating mechanism has been described is arranged to conform an upper to its last by pulling the upper around the last step-by-step and fastening the margin of the upper to an insole on the last bottom by means of short tacks. It may be desirable to use short tacks in other shoe upper conforming machines, for example heel seat lasting machines or toe lasting machines in which a plurality of tacks are simultaneously separated and then driven into the work. Machines of that, type are disclosed, for example, in United States Letters Patent No. granted on March 6, 1934, on an application of J. Gouldbourn et al. and United States Letters Patent No. 2,134,148, granted on October 25, 1938, on an application of W. T. B. Roberts.

In the separation of short tacks in machines of the type last referred to it may be difficult to employ the above described form of tack separating mechanism, since the raceways lie too close together for the separating mechanism to operate efficiently.

Accordingly, there is illustrated in Figs. 13 to 23, inclusive, a modified form of the tack separating mechanism especially suitable for machines of the type disclosed in the last mentioned two patents. The eleven raceways I30 of this mechanism also are inclined downwardly at an angle of about 30 to the horizontal. Each raceway I3t has at its lower end portion a notch E32 (Fig. 14) which is located laterally across the raceway at an angle of about (as seen from above). The notch I32 extends toward the upper end of the raceway and its upper wall is at an angle of about to the upper face of the raceway and the lower wall is at an angle of about 50 to the upper wall of the notch. Each raceway I30 has in its front end portion a hole 1 3 passing downwardly through the raceway from the lower wall of the notch I32. The hole I36 is at an angle of about 100 to the upper face of the raceway and the tack guiding groove E of the raceway ends in the hole.

Arranged to move laterally across the front end portion of each raceway is a separator block I33, there being eleven such blocks similarly arranged in relation to the raceway with which each block is associated. The separator blocks I38 are all moved simultaneously across the raceways to separate the endmost tack from each raceway and owing to the angle of the notches 5-32 across the raceways the blocks use are moved forwardly of the raceways as they move across them so that their movement across the raceways is at least substantially parallel to the notches I32.

Each separator block 638 has a tapering rear portion Hi0 (Fig. 14) which is so shaped as to fit substantially into the notch I32. The sides of the block I38 are parallel to the raceway. The

5 rear edge Nil of the block extends at an angle of about 20 to the sides.

The rear portion I i-E3 of the block E38 has formed in it a slot I42 which extends inwardly of the block at an angle from the right hand end of its rear edge MI. At the inner end of the slot it?! is a hole Hi l passing through the block so that as the slot travels past the endmost tack in the raceway with the shank of the tack in slot the tack eventually falls through the hole Md. The slot I i-2 passes through the block :33 at right angles to its upper face and thehole EM passes through the block, downwardly rearv-lardly thereof, at an angle of about 75 to its upper face.

The rear face of the slot M2 and the rear edge it of the block 538 form a point Hi5 arranged to enter between the endmost tack and the next tack to separate the endmost from the remainder of the tacks in the raceway. The upper face of the block 5538 has formed in it a recess I48 extending along each side of the slot M2, in which recess the head of the tack is supported during movement of the block past the tack until the tack drops through the hole I4 5.

Th eleven separator blocks !38 are secured on the upper face of a bar I553 (Figs. 13 to 17) extending across the front ends of the raceways. The bar Hail is secured at its ends to downwardly extending arms, one of which is shown at I52 (Fig. 15). The lower end portions of the arms E52 are pivotally secured by axially alined horizontal studs its to brackets liit. The axes of the pivot studs iii i are parallel to the front ends of the raceways and lie below the top of the racewa s and a short distance rearward of a line passing through the axes of the holes 934 in the raceways. The separator blocks I38 as they are moved across the raceways are also moved forabout the pivots i5 3 so that the rear edges of the blocks move along the notches I32. The brackets 855 are secured on the ends of a reciprocating separator actuating slide I56 commonly used in tack separating mechanisms of this type.

The separator bar I50 has secured to its right hand end a block ltd which has a ball joint with a guiding link lGZ (Figs. 13 and 15) extending rearwardly being connected by another ball joint to a fixed arm I63. When the separator bar lat") is in its left hand position (Fig. 13) the link 4E2 lies (when viewed from above) at an angle of about 70 to the separator bar and extends from the arm its to the left. When the it?) is in its right hand position, after the endmost tacks have been separated from the raceways, the link 62 lies (when viewed from above) at an angle of about 75 to the bar I50 and extends from the arm we to the right. As, therefore, the separator bar its is moved from its left hand position to its right hand position,

the link I52 causes the bar 50 to swing for- "dly about the pivots i5 2 so that the rear edges of the separator blocks 533 move across the raceways along the notches E32.

The se "ator car E50 has mounted on its front a tack finger bar 86 3- (Figs. 14, 20 and 21) cl to the separator bar. The tack finger has secured on its upper face eleven tack fingers arranged, as will hereinafter appear, to enter the slots M2 in the separator blocks I38 

